Professor Zhiwen Luo
Chair in Architectural and Urban Science
- luoz18@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44(0)29 2087 0923
- Room T.14, Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I have been trained in both Architectural Engineering (BSc- Harbin Institute of Technology, China) and Urban Climate (PhD- University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China). Prior to joining Cardiff, I was a Lecturer and Associate Professor at the School of Built Environment, University of Reading, UK.
My research focuses on designing smart, resilient, and healthy built environments at both building and urban scales with minimal energy expenditure, in response to climate change and public health emergencies such as COVID-19. I have received funding for my research from organizations including NERC, EPSRC, Innovate UK, the Met Office, ADEPT, Climate Kic, and the Global Innovation Fund. On the urban scale, I have developed a multi-scale modeling platform that considers people, buildings, and cities to enhance heatwave resilience and mitigation. I have also conducted extensive research on improving urban ventilation in mega cities like Hong Kong and London to mitigate heat and air pollution exposure. At the building scale, I am interested in finding the optimal balance between health benefits and energy costs through ventilation design. My research has contributed to the understanding of the role of ventilation patterns in the spread of influenza in a hospital ward in Hong Kong and has informed the development of cost-effective natural ventilation solutions for resource-poor regions, as reflected in the WHO guideline on "Natural ventilation for infection control in health-care settings."
Some of my recent research projects include: COSMA project on heatwave and overheating risk in South Asia (PI, NERC, NE/S005889/1); Smart indoor environment design by artificial intelligence (PI, Knowledge Transfer Partnership); SARs-CoV-2 virus transmission in indoor environment (PI, GCRF); Climate resilient built environment alliance (PI, EPSRC); Building interventions for reducing air pollution exposure in China (PI, EPSRC, EP/P511018/1); Air Pollution Solutions for Vulnerable Groups (CleanAir4V) (Co-I, NERC, NE/V002414/1); NGC- Next generation cities (Co-I, Met Office); Indoor air pollution emission and modelling (Co-I, Met Office); Thames Valley Smart City Living Lab (Co-I, leading WP on smart city for air pollution); Felix Scholarship for air pollution in India; Climate-Kic: Smart, Sustainable District; GII-Global Innovation Fund: Impact of outdoor pollution on indoor environment in schools.
I am the Board member and Award Committee Chair for International Association of Urban Climate (IAUC) and Chair for Science and Technological Committee: Environmental and Climate Impact for International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ). I have published over 50 peer-reviewed journal papers covering various research themes, e.g., built environment, environmental science, infectious disease transmission and urban meteorology.
Biography
Publications
2023
- Lyu, X., Luo, Z., Shao, L., Awbi, H. and Lo Piano, S. 2023. Safe CO2 threshold limits for indoor long-range airborne transmission control of COVID-19. Building and Environment 234, article number: 109967. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109967)
- Hang, J. et al. 2023. Assessment of exhaled pathogenic droplet dispersion and indoor-outdoor exposure risk in urban street with naturally-ventilated buildings. Building and Environment 234, article number: 110122. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110122)
- Liu, Y., Luo, Z. and Grimmond, S. 2023. Impact of building envelope design parameters on diurnal building anthropogenic heat emission. Building and Environment, article number: 110134. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110134)
- Xie, X., Luo, Z., Grimmond, S. and Blunn, L. 2023. Use of wind pressure coefficients to simulate natural ventilation and building energy for isolated and surrounded buildings. Building and Environment 230, article number: 109951. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109951)
- Wu, W., Benner, J. and Luo, Z. 2023. Developing analytical model for nighttime cooling of internal thermal mass. Applied Thermal Engineering 220, article number: 119798. (10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119798)
2022
- Munir, S., Luo, Z., Dixon, T., Manla, G., Francis, D., Chen, H. and Liu, Y. 2022. The impact of smart traffic interventions on roadside air quality employing machine learning approaches. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 110, article number: 103408. (10.1016/j.trd.2022.103408)
- Xiao, J., Zhao, J., Luo, Z., Liu, F. and Greenwood, D. 2022. The impact of built environment design on mental health: A COVID-19 lockdown perspective. Health & Place 77, article number: 102889. (10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102889)
- Liu, Y. et al. 2022. Brake wear induced PM10 emissions during the world harmonised light-duty vehicle test procedure-brake cycle. Journal of Cleaner Production 361, article number: 132278. (10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132278)
- Luo, Q. et al. 2022. Role of pathogen-laden expiratory droplet dispersion and natural ventilation explaining a COVID-19 outbreak in a coach bus. Building and Environment 220, article number: 109160. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109160)
- Liu, Y., Luo, Z. and Grimmond, S. 2022. The difference between building anthropogenic heat flux and building energy consumption [Abstract]. Presented at: EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23-27 May 2022. pp. EGU22-3188., (10.5194/egusphere-egu22-3188)
- Xiaoxiong, X., Luo, Z., Grimmond, S., Sun, T. and Blunn, L. 2022. Predicting natural ventilation potential in idealised urban neighbourhoods across Chinese climate zones [Abstract]. Presented at: EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23-27 May 2022. , (10.5194/egusphere-egu22-5074)
- Liu, Y., Luo, Z. and Grimmond, S. 2022. Revising the definition of anthropogenic heat flux from buildings: role of human activities and building storage heat flux. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22(7), pp. 4721-4735. (10.5194/acp-22-4721-2022)
- Li, Q. et al. 2022. Numerical investigations of urban pollutant dispersion and building intake fraction with various 3D building configurations and tree plantings. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19(6), article number: 3524. (10.3390/ijerph19063524)
- Xie, X., Luo, Z., Grimmond, S., Sun, T. and Morrison, W. 2022. Impact of inter-building longwave radiative exchanges on building energy performance and indoor overheating. Building and Environment 209, article number: 108628. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108628)
2021
- Sun, T., Luo, Z. and Chay, T. 2021. An analytical model to predict the temperature in subway-tunnels by coupling thermal mass and ventilation. Journal of Building Engineering 44, article number: 102564. (10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102564)
- Munir, S., Luo, Z. and Dixon, T. 2021. Comparing different approaches for assessing the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air quality in Reading, UK. Atmospheric Research 261, article number: 105730. (10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105730)
- Tang, Y. et al. 2021. Urban meteorological forcing data for building energy simulations. Building and Environment 204, article number: 108088. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108088)
- Liu, F., Luo, Z., Li, Y., Zheng, X., Zhang, C. and Qian, H. 2021. Revisiting physical distancing threshold in indoor environment using infection-risk-based modeling. Environment International 153, article number: 106542. (10.1016/j.envint.2021.106542)
- Benjamin, K., Luo, Z. and Wang, X. 2021. Crowdsourcing urban air temperature data for estimating urban heat island and building heating/cooling load in London. Energies 14(16), article number: 5208. (10.3390/en14165208)
- Kazakos, V., Taylor, J. and Luo, Z. 2021. Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on NO2 and PM2.5 exposure inequalities in London, UK. Environmental Research 198, article number: 111236. (10.1016/j.envres.2021.111236)
- Yang, X., Yang, H., Ou, C., Luo, Z. and Hang, J. 2021. Airborne transmission of pathogen-laden expiratory droplets in open outdoor space. Science of the Total Environment 773, article number: 145537. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145537)
- Liu, F., Qian, H., Luo, Z. and Zheng, X. 2021. The impact of indoor thermal stratification on the dispersion of human speech droplets. Indoor Air 31(2), pp. 369-382. (10.1111/ina.12737)
2020
- Liu, F., Qian, H., Luo, Z., Wang, S. and Zheng, X. 2020. A laboratory study of the expiratory airflow and particle dispersion in the stratified indoor environment. Building and Environment 180, article number: 106988. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106988)
- Xie, X., Sahin, O., Luo, Z. and Yao, R. 2020. Impact of neighbourhood-scale climate characteristics on building heating demand and night ventilation cooling potential. Renewable Energy 150, pp. 943-956. (10.1016/j.renene.2019.11.148)
- Sun, T., Yang, L., Jin, L., Luo, Z., Zhang, Y., Liu, Y. and Wang, Z. 2020. A novel solar-assisted ground-source heat pump (SAGSHP) with seasonal heat-storage and heat cascade utilization: Field test and performance analysis. Solar Energy 201, pp. 362-372. (10.1016/j.solener.2020.03.030)
- Meng, X., Zhou, J., Zhang, X., Luo, Z., Gong, H. and Gan, T. 2020. Optimization of the thermal environment of a small-scale data center in China. Energy 196, article number: 117080. (10.1016/j.energy.2020.117080)
- Gough, H., Barlow, J., Luo, Z., King, M., Halios, C. and Grimmond, C. 2020. Evaluating single-sided natural ventilation models against full-scale idealised measurements: Impact of wind direction and turbulence. Building and Environment 170, article number: 106556. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106556)
- Zhang, Y. et al. 2020. Numerical investigations of reactive pollutant dispersion and personal exposure in 3D urban-like models. Building and Environment 169, article number: 106569. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106569)
- Kazakos, V., Luo, Z. and Ewart, I. 2020. Quantifying the health burden misclassification from the use of different PM2.5 exposure tier models: a case study of London. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(3), article number: 1099. (10.3390/ijerph17031099)
- Hang, J. et al. 2020. The influence of aspect ratios and wall heating conditions on flow and passive pollutant exposure in 2D typical street canyons. Building and Environment 168, article number: 106536. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106536)
2019
- Shi, L., Luo, Z., Matthews, W., Wang, Z., Li, Y. and Liu, J. 2019. Impacts of urban microclimate on summertime sensible and latent energy demand for cooling in residential buildings of Hong Kong. Energy 189, article number: 116208. (10.1016/j.energy.2019.116208)
- Wu, Q., Luo, Z. and Liu, J. 2019. Research of near-wall thermodynamic state for indoor airflow over the vertical heating unit using TIV/PIV/RTD. Building and Environment 165, article number: 106406. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106406)
- Mei, S., Luo, Z., Zhao, F. and Wang, H. 2019. Street canyon ventilation and airborne pollutant dispersion: 2-D versus 3-D CFD simulations. Sustainable Cities and Society 50, article number: 101700. (10.1016/j.scs.2019.101700)
- Gough, H., Faulknall-Mills, S., King, M. and Luo, Z. 2019. Assessment of overheating risk in gynaecology scanning rooms during near-heatwave conditions: a case study of the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(18), article number: 3347. (10.3390/ijerph16183347)
- Gough, H. et al. 2019. Influence of neighbouring structures on building façade pressures: Comparison between full-scale, wind-tunnel, CFD and practitioner guidelines. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 189, pp. 22-33. (10.1016/j.jweia.2019.03.011)
- Lin, Y., Chen, G., Chen, T., Luo, Z., Yuan, C., Gao, P. and Hang, J. 2019. The influence of advertisement boards, street and source layouts on CO dispersion and building intake fraction in three-dimensional urban-like models. Building and Environment 150, pp. 297-321. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.012)
- Tong, L., Gao, J., Luo, Z., Wu, L., Zeng, L., Liu, G. and Wang, Y. 2019. A novel flow-guide device for uniform exhaust in a central air exhaust ventilation system. Building and Environment 149, pp. 134-145. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.12.007)
- Jobli, M. I., Yao, R., Luo, Z., Shahrestani, M., Li, N. and Liu, H. 2019. Numerical and experimental studies of a Capillary-Tube embedded PCM component for improving indoor thermal environment. Applied Thermal Engineering 148, pp. 466-477. (10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.10.041)
- Duan, S., Luo, Z., Yang, X. and Li, Y. 2019. The impact of building operations on urban heat/cool islands under urban densification: A comparison between naturally-ventilated and air-conditioned buildings. Applied Energy 235, pp. 129-138. (10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.10.108)
- Li, B. et al. 2019. An investigation of formaldehyde concentration in residences and the development of a model for the prediction of its emission rates. Building and Environment 147, pp. 540-550. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.10.045)
- Wu, Q., Zhu, C., Liu, L., Liu, J. and Luo, Z. 2019. Two-dimensional flow visualization and velocity measurement in natural convection near indoor heated surfaces using a thermal image velocimetry method. Applied Thermal Engineering 146, pp. 556-568. (10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.10.023)
2018
- Liu, S., Luo, Z., Zhang, K. and Hang, J. 2018. Natural ventilation of a small-scale road tunnel by wind catchers: A CFD simulation study. Atmosphere 9(10), article number: 411. (10.3390/atmos9100411)
- Shi, L., Zhang, H., Li, Z., Luo, Z. and Liu, J. 2018. Optimizing the thermal performance of building envelopes for energy saving in underground office buildings in various climates of China. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 77, pp. 26-35. (10.1016/j.tust.2018.03.019)
- Wang, K., Li, Y., Luo, Z., Yin, S. and Chan, P. W. 2018. Harmonic analysis of 130-year hourly air temperature in Hong Kong: detecting urban warming from the perspective of annual and daily cycles. Climate Dynamics 51(1-2), pp. 613-625. (10.1007/s00382-017-3944-y)
- Gough, H. et al. 2018. Field measurement of natural ventilation rate in an idealised full-scale building located in a staggered urban array: Comparison between tracer gas and pressure-based methods. Building and Environment 137, pp. 246-256. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.03.055)
- Yuan, Y., Luo, Z., Liu, J., Wang, Y. and Lin, Y. 2018. Health and economic benefits of building ventilation interventions for reducing indoor PM2.5 exposure from both indoor and outdoor origins in urban Beijing, China. Science of the Total Environment 626, pp. 546-554. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.119)
- Gough, H. et al. 2018. Effects of variability of local winds on cross ventilation for a simplified building within a full-scale asymmetric array: Overview of the Silsoe field campaign. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 175, pp. 408-418. (10.1016/j.jweia.2018.02.010)
2017
- Barlow, J. et al. 2017. Developing a research strategy to better understand, observe, and simulate urban atmospheric processes at Kilometer to Subkilometer Scales. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 98(10), pp. ES261-ES264. (10.1175/BAMS-D-17-0106.1)
- Yang, X., Li, Y., Luo, Z. and Chan, P. W. 2017. The urban cool island phenomenon in a high-rise high-density city and its mechanisms. International Journal of Climatology 37(2), pp. 890-904. (10.1002/joc.4747)
- Hang, J., Luo, Z., Wang, X., He, L., Wang, B. and Zhu, W. 2017. The influence of street layouts and viaduct settings on daily carbon monoxide exposure and intake fraction in idealized urban canyons. Environmental Pollution 220, P, pp. 72-86. (10.1016/j.envpol.2016.09.024)
2015
- Li, B., Luo, Z., Sandberg, M. and Liu, J. 2015. Revisiting the ‘Venturi effect’ in passage ventilation between two non-parallel buildings. Building and Environment 94, Pa, pp. 714-722. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.10.023)
- Luo, Z. and Asproudi, C. 2015. Subsurface urban heat island and its effects on horizontal ground-source heat pump potential under climate change. Applied Thermal Engineering 90, pp. 530-537. (10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2015.07.025)
- Luo, Z. and Naiping, G. 2015. Guest editorial ventilation for healthy indoor environments in various types of buildings extended papers from Indoor Air 2014. International Journal of Ventilation 14(2), pp. 109-110. (10.1080/14733315.2015.11684073)
- Luo, Z., Zhao, J., Yao, R. and Shu, Z. 2015. Emergy-based sustainability assessment of different energy options for green buildings. Energy Conversion and Management 100, pp. 97-102. (10.1016/j.enconman.2015.04.072)
- Yao, R., Luo, Q., Luo, Z., Jiang, L. and Yang, Y. 2015. An integrated study of urban microclimates in Chongqing, China: Historical weather data, transverse measurement and numerical simulation. Sustainable Cities and Society 14, pp. 187-199. (10.1016/j.scs.2014.09.007)
- Shahrestani, M., Yao, R., Luo, Z., Turkbeyler, E. and Davies, H. 2015. A field study of urban microclimates in London. Renewable Energy 73, pp. 3-9. (10.1016/j.renene.2014.05.061)
2014
- Lin, M., Hang, J., Li, Y., Luo, Z. and Sandberg, M. 2014. Quantitative ventilation assessments of idealized urban canopy layers with various urban layouts and the same building packing density. Building and Environment 79, pp. 152-167. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.05.008)
- Gao, J., Cao, C., Luo, Z. and Zhang, X. 2014. Inhalation exposure to particulate matter in rooms with underfloor air distribution. Indoor and Built Environment 23(2), pp. 236-245. (10.1177/1420326X13482478)
- Luo, Z., Li, B., Sandberg, M. and Liu, J. 2014. Ventilation performance in a passage between two nonparallel buildings. Presented at: 13th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, Indoor Air 2014, Hong Kong, 7-12 July 2014Indoor Air 2014 - 13th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate. pp. 815-820.
2013
- Hang, J., Luo, Z., Sandberg, M. and Gong, J. 2013. Natural ventilation assessment in typical open and semi-open urban environments under various wind directions. Building and Environment 70, pp. 318-333. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2013.09.002)
- Gao, J., Cao, C., Zhang, X. and Luo, Z. 2013. Volume-based size distribution of accumulation and coarse particles (PM0.1-10) from cooking fume during oil heating. Building and Environment 59, pp. 575-580. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.10.009)
2012
- Liu, J., Luo, Z., Zhao, T. and Shui, J. 2012. Ventilation in a street canyon under diurnal heating conditions. International Journal of Ventilation 11(2), pp. 141-154. (10.1080/14733315.2012.11683977)
2011
- Luo, Z., Li, Y. and Lu, W. 2011. Effects of urban ventilation patterns on the carbon monoxide concentration in a high-rise mega city. International Journal of Ventilation 10(3), pp. 239-250. (10.1080/14733315.2011.11683952)
- Luo, Z. and Li, Y. 2011. Passive urban ventilation by combined buoyancy-driven slope flow and wall flow: Parametric CFD studies on idealized city models. Atmospheric Environment 45(32), pp. 5946-5956. (10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.04.010)
2010
- Wong, B. C. et al. 2010. Possible role of aerosol transmission in a hospital outbreak of influenza. Clinical Infectious Diseases 51(10), pp. 1176-1183. (10.1086/656743)
- Luo, Z., Li, Y. and Nazaroff, W. W. 2010. Intake fraction of nonreactive motor vehicle exhaust in Hong Kong. Atmospheric Environment 44(15), pp. 1913-1918. (10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.02.016)
2007
- Luo, Z., Zhao, J., Gao, J. and He, L. 2007. Estimating natural-ventilation potential considering both thermal comfort and IAQ issues. Building and Environment 42(6), pp. 2289-2298. (10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.04.024)
- Liu, J., Zhao, J., Luo, Z. and Gao, J. 2007. Influence of heat island effect on natural ventilation potential in urban area. Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology (New Series) 14(SUPPL.), pp. 23-25.
Teaching
- Module leader: MSc Architectural Science Research (Research Methods)
- Deputy programme director: MSc Sustainable Mega Buildings; MSc Environmental Design of Buildings
Research interest
- Urban microclimate and design
- Climate resilient building and cities
- Smart building and cities
- Indoor air quality and infection disease transmission in buildings
Research projects
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2023-24 |
Heat resilient Reading for vulnerable population (PI, EPSRC IAA) |
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2022-23 |
Urban overheating due to cooling decarbonisation using heat pumps in the UK (PI, EPSRC) |
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2021-22 |
Climate resilient built environment alliance (PI, EPSRC) |
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2021-22 |
Urban overheating: developing a net zero and resilient Reading 2030 (PI, Research England) |
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2021-22 |
NERC-SHEAR Follow-up fund (PI, NERC) |
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2021-25 |
Indoor air quality emission and modeling system (Co-I, Met-office) |
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2020-23 |
Air Pollution Solutions for Vulnerable Groups (CleanAir4V) (Co-I, NERC, NE/V002414/1, WP leader on technology intervention for improving indoor and outdoor air quality) |
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2020-22 |
Artificial intelligence for healthy and productive workplace (PI, Innovate UK-KTP) |
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2020-22 |
Thames Valley Smart City Living Lab (Co-I, £4.5m, WP leader on smart city for air pollution and supervising one PDRA) |
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2020- 21 |
Met office CSSP China: Development of an improved urban-environment scheme in global and regional models (Co-I) |
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2020-21 |
SARs-CoV-2 virus transmission in crowded indoor environment (PI, GCRF) |
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2019- 20 |
Personal air pollution exposure inequality in Rural China (PI, GCRF) |
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2019-22 |
Climate service for resilience to overheating risk in Colombo, Sri Lanka: a multi-scale mapping approach (COSMA) (PI, NERC, NE/S005889/1) |
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2018-19 |
A tale of two cities: urban design and air pollution (PI, UoR internal) |
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2018-19 |
Urban metabolism modeling for sustainable green infrastructure development in rapidly urbanized medium-sized cities in Brazil (Co-I, GCRF seed fund) |
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2016-17 |
EPSRC-GCRF: Health benefit and economic cost of prioritizing intervention strategies to reduce indoor exposure to outdoor PM2.5 pollutions in Beijing, China (PI-EP/P511018/1) |
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2014-16 |
Climate-Kic Smart, Sustainable Districts: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Co-I, Climate Kic) |
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2014-16 |
School indoor environmental and ventilation control strategies for children’s health and wellbeing (Co-I, Halton Foundation) |
Supervision
I am interested in supervising the following research topics in relation to Architectural and Urban Science:
- Infection resilient buildings
- Climate resilient buildings
- Smart and healthy building design
- Urban microclimate modeling and measurement
I welcome potential motivated PhD applicants to contact me to discuss your research proposal and ideas aligning with my research interest. Cardiff University provides a number of PhD studentships for high calibre candidates.
Current PhD students:
- Mr Vitor Lavor (2021- ): Airborne infection risk in urban environment (1st supervisor, funded by NERC Scenario DTP). Co-supervisor: Prof Sue Grimmond, Dr Omduth Coceal
- Ms Rahaf Alqutub (2020- ): Indoor air quality in special-needs school (1st supervisor, Saudi Arabian studentship)
- Ms Xiaowei Lyu(2020- ): Smart building for infection control(1st supervisor) (CSC PhD studentship), Co-supervisor: Prof Li Shao
- Mr Yiqing Liu (2020- ): Building-urban integrated modeling (1st supervisor) (University PhD studentship), Co-supervisor: Prof Sue Grimmond
- Ms Hannah Marcham(2020- ): Understanding the learning experience of autistic children in special-needs school (2nd Supervisor, SeNSS studentship), 1st Supervisor: Dr Teresa Tavassoli
- Mr Xiaoxiong Xie (2018-22): Indoor overheating assessment in cities (1st supervisor), Co-supervisor: Prof Sue Grimmond
- Mr Vasilis Kazakos (2018-2022): Design interventions to reduce air pollution exposure (1st supervisor), Co-supervisor: Dr Ian Ewart
